


This is Gospel

by caplanbuckybarnes



Category: Marvel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 19:08:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14921195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caplanbuckybarnes/pseuds/caplanbuckybarnes
Summary: Bucky Barnes is quite the troublemaker in his small hometown. He’s had a troubling childhood, losing his mother in a house fire, his dad being killed by a cop when he was barely 23. He’s all alone in this world, only having his cousin Steve Rogers to fall back on in times of trouble. Y/N is a police officer who helps him along the way out of trouble and into a life of recovery.





	1. Chapter 1

“Y/L/N, we have another break in at the Lee’s complex on 42 Wallaby Way.” The voice came through just as you had laid down on your seat to take a well deserved nap.

Fuck.  “I’m on it.” you answered back into the radio that rested on your collar. You replaced the hat on your head and the buttons on your uniform shirt before driving out of the coffee shop parking lot and heading onto the highway to the location.

I wonder what the hell’s going on? You shook your head, trying to stay awake, a soft chuckle falling from your lips as all the possibilities came to mind. You were fairly new to the force, only being around for about two years and a few months. You had been on desk duty for a few months before had been graced with the opportunity to have your own patrol car without a partner. You loved it, and hated it at the same time. You lived for the danger. Of course, you woke up every morning scared shitless that it would be your final day on earth. The cruiser they had supplied you with was definitely one of the most comfortable cars I’ve ever had the pleasure of driving. That was one of the very few perks of this hook up.

Occasionally, while on patrol, you brought along your pit bull, Riley, on patrols with you to keep you company. It was always hilarious seeing the reactions of some of the criminals who you transported to the station. She was normally a sweetheart. But these assholes didn’t have to know that, right?

You sped passed each car, curving in and out of traffic, honking at a few people who didn’t move out of the way in time, even though you had the sirens blaring out. Your brother, Bruce Banner thought you were absolutely insane for joining the force like this. He said it wasn’t the right job for a woman like you. He said you should have joined a law firm instead of working your ass off on the force. But you refused his offer whenever the topic of conversation had aroused between the pair of you. You didn’t want to have to wear those hideous pencil skirts and take orders from people you didn’t respect.

But here, sitting in this cruiser, here is where you knew you belonged, it’s where you always wanted to be. You’ve always admired the force when you were a child. And you were absolutely ecstatic when you were old enough to go to the Police Academy. Of course, there were days where it’s too rough, or even too boring. But still, being a police officer was your dream come true. Bruce hated it. He always referred to officers such as yourself ‘pigs’.  You were still incredibly close to one another, though. The pair of you  see each other mostly on weekends when neither of you are busy busting our asses in work.

You arrived in front of the residence in a little over ten minutes, though, with traffic being the way it was, it felt much longer than that. As you parked in front of the small house, you had paged back to the station that you had arrived and was now investigating the complaint.

“Good afternoon, sir,”  you greeted, walking over to the elderly gentleman standing on his porch. Next to him, sat an attractive dark haired man, seemingly nonchalant in front of you presence as though he had no care in the world. “What seems to be the problem here?” You placed your thumbs between the belt loops of your pants as Mr. Lee pointed to the man sitting on his porch step.

You sighed out as you connected eyesight with this man. “What’d you do, son?”

He smirked handsomely as he looked you up and down. You had guessed that he was possibly sizing you up, or possibly even checking you out.. You hadn’t a clue. Nor did you care. You had a job to do. “First off, lady, I ain’t your son. And secondly, you look about my age, so cut that shit out, okay? Don’t try and act as though you’re someone more inferior to me, ‘kay?”

Great, a fucking street thug. You had to restrain from rolling your eyes at his pettiness. “Alright, kid. Stand up.”

He rolled his eyes. “What for? I hardly did any damage this time.”

You glanced at Mr. Lee for confirmation.

“He crawled through my kitchen window and broke some valuables of mine. I want this thug arrested.” He answered, crossing his arms in front him as he glared at the thug.

You beckoned to the thug with a finger. “C’mon, kid. Let’s go. Don’t make this harder on yourself. I have better things to do than sit here and be petty.”

The thug rolled his eyes dramatically before standing to his feet, making a show to pat down his pants, even though they had been spotless of any dirt or grime. He placed his hands above his head, interlocking his fingers. You grabbed onto one of his biceps before leading him over to the patrol car.

“What kinda car is this? A Ford Focus model? Shit, you got got me fucked up if you think I’m getting into the back of that thing.” Scoffing, he folded his arms in front of his chest.

“What’s your name, kid?” You questioned as you opened the back door for him to slip inside.

“No handcuffs?” He cocked his head back.

“What’s your name, kid?”

Snickering, he defiled your body once more. “You must be really new to this town or somethin’ if you’ve no idea who I am, sugar tits.”

“I’m not going to ask you again.” You demanded, leaning your elbow on the car.

Smirking wider, he answered, “Bucky Barnes, at your service, ma’am.”

You smiled back at him mockingly. “There, that wasn’t so hard now. Was it?”  
“I’ll give you something that’s hard if you keep talking, lady.” He sassed back.

You couldn’t stop the laugh that fell from your lips as you closed the door after he ushered his way into it. “Stay here and don’t even think about moving.”

He rolled his eyes as you turned around to see Mr. Lee still standing on his porch, menacing look on his face. You strolled over to him and tipped your cap towards him. “I’ll be sure to replace whatever the kid broke out of my own pocket, if I have to.”

He waved the offer away. “That’s not necessary, my dear. I just wanted that kid out of my sight. He’s been harassing me for far too long.”

“How long?” you asked, furrowing your eyebrows.

“Far too long; make sure he stays locked up for a long while, ya hear?” Mr. Lee nodded before turning around and making his way back into his mouth, muttering about petty fools along the way.

“Okay.” you let out slowly as you walked over to the car, where Riley was turned around in her seat, nose stuck between the glass separating you from the back seat criminals. You laughed to yourself at the look of pure terror on the thug’s face. “Relax, Riley.” You soothed her with a few pats to the head after settled into your seat, turning the car back on.

“So how long did you say you were on the force?” He conversed. You sighed and left the question in the air for a long moment before he clicked his tongue in annoyance. “So?”

“Two years, three months.” you finally answered.

“Shoot. No wonder you’ve no idea who the hell I am.” He hooted with laughter. “Officer Y/L/N?” He recited from the badges’ reflection in the rearview mirror.

You nodded without really listening to the words falling from his mouth. You knew he was only trying to distract you from your job. Most men like him tried and failed all the time. You were immune to it by this time in your career. You’d thought it was childish. Paying attention to it would only encourage it more. “How come I’ve never seen your pretty little face before today if you’ve been on the force for that long?”

“I’m in no liberty to explain myself to a criminal like you.”

You heard him click his tongue as you finally pulled into the station’s parking lot., three spaces from the main entrance. You got out and opened the rear door, being quick to grab Bucky’s left arm to make sure he couldn’t run away.

“I got something else you can grip on tightly to, doll.” He wiggled his eyebrows as you pushed him through the doors.

You remained silent as you led him into the building, nodding to a few officers on your way to the small holding cells in the back of the department. “Chief, I got one!” You hollered out, guidinging Bucky to the back, even though it seemed as though he were already familiar with the pathway. A moment later, a face popped out from one of the offices lining the hall.

“Who’d you catch today, Y/N?” The Lieutenant, Nick Fury, inspected before fully stepping into the hallway, coffee in his right hand.

“Bucky Barnes, sir.” you informed.

“Same shit, huh?” Nick directed the question at Bucky. “Do you never learn?”

“Fuck you, Fury.” Bucky spat.

Nick chuckled mockingly for a moment. “Your daddy George must be so proud of you, huh?”

“Well gee,” Bucky mocked. “How the fuck would I know what he would think of me if you fuckers had him killed for a crime he never committed?”

Nick stepped towards him, never breaking eye contact. The loathing in his eyes almost made you back away in fear. “You’re father George was a sick man, James, and you know it. Why are you still faithful to a man whose dead and did terrible things to you and your cousin as a child?”

“Suck my cock, Fury.” Bucky seethed.

“Put him in Holding Cell Two. Come to my office when your finished with him. I have some things to discuss with you, Y/N.”

“Yes sir.” You nodded, tightening my grip on Bucky’s arm, afraid that he would attack my boss. With the way both men had stared each other down, you wouldn’t have been surprised if a fight had broken out between them. “Care to explain what that was about?” You blurted out in curiosity.

However, Bucky remained stone faced and silent as you guided him to the holding area. You caught yourself staring at him and noticed the furious look on his face. You’d recognized it in previous delinquents who swore up and down of their innocence. But Bucky… He had a completely different look about him. He had a look of absolute murder and vengeance on him. You arrived at the Holding Cell and he walked right in, no sarcastic remark, or laughter on his face. You didn’t think too much on it as you locked the door behind him before making your way to Fury’s office.

You hardly knocked on the wooden door before Nick’s voice called you through the room. You tested yourself before walking inside and sitting nervously in the chair in front of his desk. “What’s up?”

He sighed before leaning forward and tapping a single finger on the desk. “That gentleman you brought in here tonight…. I’d thought he had overdosed a while ago. He hasn’t stepped foot near this place for over four months. His name is James Barnes. He’s an absolute menace.”

You couldn’t help the scoff that fell from your lips. “That’s impossible. He seems like any other scumbag I pick up.”

He dropped his head for a moment before looking back up at me. “Where’s Riley?”

“In my car with the windows down.”

He nodded. “That man in that cell is a menace. His name is James Buchanan Barnes. His father before him, George, was a mass murderer. He killed Barnes’s mother and sisters in a house fire when he was barely nine years old. He’s currently living with his cousin, Steve Rogers.”

You were speechless, your thoughts ran wild for a moment before his voice snapped you back into reality.

“With any luck, James will only deal with petty crimes and nothing too serious. As destructive as his upbringing was, he’s turned out better than anyone of us ever thought he would.”

“But sir, excuse me for speaking out. He seems harmless. He’s just a petty thug. Right?”

Chuckling, he sat back in the chair. “You’ve no idea who he is. And I guarantee, you’ll be dealing with him a lot more now that he’s come out of his hiding place.” He ducked low to tie his shoe before looking at me once more. “Don’t let him fool you, Y/N. He’s a menace. I can’t tell you how many times his cousin called us explaining that he’s become violent because  he had a nasty withdrawal. He wrecks everything he touches. He’s abusive to anyone who shows him the slightest bit of sympathy. Do not let him under your skin.”

At that, he turned around to face his computer, silently granting your leave. You left the office feeling absent. You’ve been in and around this department for two years. And yet, you hardly knew anything about the criminals in this town. You looked around at your colleagues and waved to Parker as he looked up from his desk.

“Hey, Bucky. You hungry?” You asked as you approached his cell.

He threw you a vicious glare before turning back to face the wall in front of him. You assumed he was still steaming from his encounter with Fury moments ago.

“Okay, fine. Don’t answer me. I’m going back up front to sign your release forms. Where do you live? Maybe I can drop you off safely.”

“Fuck you avenue.” He retorted.

You let out a sigh. “Bucky, I’m not the enemy, okay? I’m trying to help you.”

Once you realised you wouldn’t receive an answer back, you walked back to the front of the building to grab a release form. With the help of Natasha, one of your coworkers, you were able to fill out his crime sheet. This guy had a rap sheet a mile long, it seemed. Once you filled out everything, and the only necessary thing you needed was his signature, you walked back to his cell, pen tucked behind your left ear.

“Hey kid.” You pulled the food tray down again. “I need your John Hancock.”

You heard him grunt in annoyance before he walked over and snatched the pen from you. He signed his name and you opened the cell door, allowing him to step out of the room and into the hallway.

“This doesn’t mean we’re even, bitch.” He spat out, scowling in utmost hatred.

“I’m fully aware of that.” you retorted back, unfazed by his antagonistic behavior. “Now, do you want a lift home or no?”

“I don’t need help from the likes of you, pig.” He scowled before bumping your shoulder and walking out of the building.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days have passed and you were back to sitting in your cruiser, Riley next to you, her head hanging out of the window, enjoying the warm breeze. You were admiring the beauty and innocence of her when a call had come through your radio, alerting you of a break in across the town.

Heaving a sigh, you pulled out from the parking lot of a coffee shop shop, calling back into the radio that you were on your way. You had arrived at the scene in a little under ten minutes. Getting out of the car, you commanded Riley stay put in the car while you walked over to the elderly man standing in the entrance of his house.

“What can I do for you today, sir?”

“I was walking into my home when I heard a racket coming from the kitchen. I was this punk taking apart my toaster oven. Hell only knows what else this fool broke.” The elderly man pointed across the yard to a familiar face.

“Mister Barnes, back at it again so soon, huh?” you called as Bucky approached you, smug in the face as if he had won the city lottery.

“Of course, ma’am.” he spoke, his voice laced with cheeriness.

“Any reason you broke into his home and took apart his toaster oven?” you asked, knowing that some bullshit was going to spew from his mouth. You should have listened to Fury when he told you how much trouble this man could cause.

Scoffing, he folded his arms in front of his chest. “Why not? It seemed like fun and I needed entertainment in my life.”

“Let’s go.” you beckoned to him. “I’m taking you back to the station.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” he smirked as he strut over to the cruiser and playfully banged his palm against the hood.

“I’ll have a new toaster sent to your house soon enough.” you turned to the man still standing on his porch looking as annoyed as ever. “I’ll call another officer to file a report.”

The old man nodded before turning back into his house and slamming the door shut. You didn’t hesitate to walk back over to your cruiser and settle behind the wheel.

“Can we hurry this up, lady? I got somewhere to be later tonight.”

You eyed him in the mirror from the corner of your eye. He seemed aggressive. You couldn’t place the sudden mood change. You suspected it had something to do with Fury’s accusations.

“Your dog seems quiet today.” he commented, staring at Riley, who was paying him no attention as she was sticking her head out of the window enjoying the breeze.

“She’s okay,” you responded, not really paying him too much attention. “She’s really mine, you know? The station lets me take her on rides sometimes. I had her since I graduated from the academy two years ago.” You made it to the station without any further comments from the man.

“What’s in here for today, Y/N?” Fury called from his office.

“Vandalism, nothing major,” you replied.

“Write him up, then.”

You guided Bucky to the holding cells, noticing the stiffness of his walk the moment Nick had spoken. “What’s up, kid?” you inquired as you reached the cell room and guided him inside.

“Nothing,” he grimaced. “Just fill out the sheet and come back with it.”

You nearly pouted as you closed the door behind you, locking it with Riley walking beside you. You made your way to Fury’s office and knocked on the door, being granted entrance immediately.

“Hey, Chief.” you greeted, walking into the office and sitting down in the chair. “Can I ask for a favor?”

“That depends on the favor.” he answered, hardly glancing up from the computer screen in front of him.

“Would it be possible if I look over James Barnes’s documents? His police police records and such?”

“Why in the hell would I allow something as that, Y/N?”

“Because I keep bumping into his little crime scenes and there’s something incredibly off about him. I would like-”

He held up a hand to cease your rambling and you closed your mouth quickly. “I cannot grant your request. Those files are confidential and I cannot allow them to get into the wrong set of hands. I’m sure you understand.”

“Thank you, sir.” you nodded, biting back the groan that wanted to escape your lips. “Sorry for the disturbance.” On your way back to the holding rooms, you stopped to grab the release forms from the front desk and started filling them out, leaving a few spaces where you needed Barnes’s signature.

Once you were satisfied, you walked to the holding cells and opened the food latch and placed the clipboard inside. “Sign.”

Raising a brow, he walked over to you and grabbed the board and pen you had provided for him. “What’s with the grumpy face?”

You ignored him and opened the door for him. He stepped outside and stayed close to your heels as you walked to the front door.

“Hey,” he spoke as he stepped outside before turning to look at you. “D’you mind giving me a lift this time?”

“That depends; are you going to give me an actual address or some bullshit?”

“1218 Kirkwood Circle.” He responded as you guided him over to your cruiser, petting Riley on the head as she had stuck her head from the window.

Once you were settled in the cruiser, you punched the address into the GPS in front of you. “Why in the hell do you stay around here if you gave me an address an hour out of the city?”

He took a moment to answer. “I go back and forth between living with a few friends and my cousin Steve’s house. Steve kicks me out whenever we get into a disagreement about things.”

“Who are your friends?” you asked, almost afraid of the answer. “Surely your friends wouldn’t want you to go back with Steve if he kicks you out all the time.”

“Friends.” He said.

You nodded, not pressing the matter as you reached the highway and merged into traffic, turning on your sirens to move through the lanes faster. You arrived at the address he provided for you in a little less than an hour. You pulled into the driveway and looked at the small group sitting on the porch. You got got and huffed in annoyance as the small group started spewing vulgar language at you before James’s head appeared out of the car, grinning from ear to ear.

“Damn, homeboy! Police escorting you home now, huh?” One of the men shouted.

“Rocket, shut your face!” Barnes spat, though he was grinning still. He turned to look at you with a nod of thanks before strutting over to the small crowd, wrapping his arms around one of the females, kissing her on the cheek before turning around and watching you sped away from the scene.

You drove back to the station in silence, getting lost in your thoughts even though Riley had nudged your arm for comfort. When you had arrived back at the station, Fury was standing in front of his office looking as stern as can be. “Yes, sir?” You offered, walking over to him, feeling as though you were a child walking to the principal’s office after getting into trouble.

“In, now.” He pointed to his office before slamming the door closed the moment you had stepped inside.

“Did I do something wrong, sir?” you asked as you sat in the chair in front of his desk.

“I’ll let you think about it.” He answered as he stepped behind his desk. “Take your time.”

“Sir?”

“Are you out of your goddamn mind to have James Barnes in your patrol car after we released him? Have I not told you the danger that man causes? He’s a menace o society. What if he held you captive? What if he stole your car?”

“I only offered him a ride to his home, Fury.” You explained. “Riley was in the car with me. She won’t let anything happen to me.”

“Do it again and I won’t hesitate to ask for your badge. Understood?”

You nodded solemnly.

“Dismissed.” Nick ordered with an air of importance as he waved his hand in the air.

You left the office, taking care to not pay attention to the other officers around you as they blankly stared at you. You walked out to your patrol car and drove off down the road to your patrol area. The rest of your shift was silent. You assumed that every call that was supposed to be sent to you had been directed to other officers patrolling the area. You assumed the chief was placing you on punishment. You didn’t mind too much as it gave you a small opportunity to catch up on some much wanted sleep

*********

A week passed by since the incident with Barnes. You hardly heard about him around the office. Hell, you even combed the streets looking for any petty crimes in the neighborhood. You assumed he was either dead, or on good behavior. Maybe he was even in jail near the town where you had dropped him off last time he was in your car. He was a thug, and early deaths and incarcerations were common for young men like him.

You’d been strolling the streets after disbanding a group of teenagers from an ice cream shop when a sudden scenario blared through your radio; a vandal had broken into a home a few blocks from where you were located. You called into the station and sped your way  to the location. You pulled into the driveway and held back a smile as you saw Bucky’s familiar face as he sat on the ground in front of the porch where an older man was standing with a shotgun firmly in his hand

“Officer, I want this criminal off my property this instant.” The man ordered, glaring at the back of Bucky’s head with hatred.

“What may be the problem?”

“He broke the windows in my kitchen after stealing food from my pantry! I want him put to justice! This generation of young men have no self respect!”

Turning to Bucky with an amused brow, you placed your hands on your hips.

“Long time no see, eh, Officer?” Bucky grinned with a smirk.

You almost let a smile slip past your lips again before schooling your face into a stern expression. “I’ll have someone come by and record the damages; I’ll supply a lawyer if you want to press any charges.”

“You bet your ass I want to!” the man spat.

Nodding in satisfaction, you pulled at Bucky’s shoulder. “Let’s go, you.” Bucky allowed you to direct him to your car and he easily sat in the back without a fuss. You closed the rear door and sat in the driver’s seat before taking off onto the road. The ride was silent  for a moment before you let out a soft chuckle. “Where’ve you been, Barnes? Finally behaving, huh? I was starting to miss being your chaperon”

“My cousin, Steve and I, we had a nice long talk. I’m actually back in the neighborhood again. For now, at least.”

“So no more out-of-town drop offs for you, then, huh?” You glanced at his reflection in the mirror as you approached a stop light.

“For the moment.” He smiled.

Sighing out as you begun to drive again you eyed him for a moment. “I won’t be able to drive you home after this trip at the station today, Barnes.”

“Why not?” He crunched his nose in thought.

“Chief’s orders.” you sighed out. “He says you’re a dangerous fool, like your daddy before you.” You explained carefully. “Can I ask you something?” You asked after he didn’t respond.

“He was a horrible person.” Bucky mumbled. “That’s all I’m saying one the matter.”

“What did he do to you?” You asked, wanting to know more, even though you knew it really wasn’t any of your business to know such private information.

“Don’t worry about it.” He replied in a cold tone as you finally drove into the station’s lot.

Nodding, you pointed to the entrance of the department. “Well, ready to get the show on the road, or what?”

He puffed out his cheeks for a moment before he nodded. You escorted his into the building after handcuffing him. You felt eyes following you throughout the building to the drop off. Once he was securely inside,  you walked to the front desk and noticed a stack of papers next to the release forms.

“Gamora, what are these?” you asked the woman sitting behind the desk.

“Barnes’s papers, I believe.” She shrugged, hardy giving you the respect of looking at you. You weren’t surprised at her behavior, she hardly ever glanced away from that damned screen. “Fury told me to give them to you whenever you decided to grace our presence again.”  
Glancing at the name on the file, you frowned and walked down the corridor to Nick’s office before knocking gently.

“Come in, Y/L/N.” He announced.

“Sir?” you voiced out as you took a nervous step inside the office.

“You seemed to be the only officer in this department whom has no idea of what James Barnes is capable of. Its against protocol, but I’m willing to grace you a look into the file of his father. None of the other officers are insane enough to disobey my orders like you constantly seem to do.” You coughed out and blinked as he glared at you through slotted eyes. “I’m giving you one final warning, Y/N; do not underestimate Barnes. The man had a horrible childhood and hasn’t found a healthy way to cope with it. I’m sure you will see in due time.”

Nodding, you quickly left the office before you stumbled over to grab the stack of files from the desk. Tucking the file under your arm, you made you way to the holding cell and handed Barnes his release forms.

“What’s that about?” He asked, noticing the manila folder tucked in your arm.

Leaving his question unanswered, you handed him a few dollars for bus fare. “Take the bus home today.” You handed him the money along with a card with your phone number on it. “If you’re ever in need of a place to sleep, or just someone to talk to, I’m always available.”

Rolling his eyes, he took the card and money from you before placing them in his pocket. He walked away from the station without another word with his hands tucked deep into his jean pockets. As soon as he had disappeared around the corner, you sat in your cruiser, debating whether or not you should follow him or not. You glanced down at the file as you placed them on your passenger seat and huffed out a defeated sigh. A moment later, the files were left forgotten as a call had sounded from your radio calling for back up in a car chase.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that evening, after a long day at work and dealing with criminals, you were sitting at your kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea with the stack of information that Nick had granted his approval for. Grabbing the first file fro nth stack, your fingers trailed over George’s name in suspense./ You’d been aching to open these files all afternoon. You’d thought of little else since he’d handed them to you. You’d ruffianly started skimming the first page and then the next;

 

_George Barnes_

_Police had arrived on scene where George Barnes was holding his son aged approx. eleven years of age, in his arms. Police arrive to a deadly house fire in Shelby, Indiana in early November._

  
  


You felt your mouth slack open at the information. Nick must have known all along about the death of James’s parents. Bucky had such a hard start for a childhood. You continued skimming the pages, reading a few paragraphs whenever a phrase caught your attention.

One of the reports had been full of reports of dead bodies in different states around the country. Bucky’s father had been a murderer when he was alive before the police had finally caught up to his shenanigans. George had successfully avoided arrest and suspicion for decades. He was laced in a mental institution until his death sentence had been brought to light.  _Damn, no wonder Bucky felt so heated when Nick gloated._ Further into the retros, you read that George had paid a woman to kidnap and rape James when he was just a toddler.

Feeling disgusted, you pushed yourself away from the kitchen table, nearly spilling your tea cup all over the table and floor. Taking a deep breath as Riley perked up from her spot laying by the fridge, she bounced over to you and laid her head in your lap.”I’m okay, Riley. I’m okay.” You soothed her as she looked up at you with sad brown eyes. Taking a shaky breath you looked over at the microwave and pouted as you noticed it was approaching midnight, You stood up from the chair and called for Riley to follow you up to your bedroom. You laughed as she nearly collided with you on the race to your bedroom.

*********

You drove to work the net day, rubbing your eyes with one day, a cup of coffee in the other. Covering your mouth as you yawned, you greeted the chief.

“You’ll be scouting a new area today, Y/L/N.”

“Ha? Why?” you asked a little too quickly.

“Quill’s out sick and there’s nobody here to cover for him.”

“Then who will be covering my patrol area?”

“Stark.”

He had to refrain from rolling your eyes. Everyone at the station knew that you and Anthony Stark held little to no respect for one another. It was hard enough that he assumed you weren’t ex[experienced enough to be out on the patrolling field. He always got under your skin about it.

“When will he show up?”

“Eleven.” He stopped walking at the end of the hallway and opened the holding cell. “Logan, you’re free of all charges; get outta here before I change my mind.” He unlocked the door and opened it. He made quick haste as the man charged at Nick. Thinking quickly, you placed your handcuffs on him behind his back and tossed him into the cell once more. “Well, Logan, I’d assumed you’d wanted to stay another night, huh? It’s too chilly out there in night, hmm?”

“Excuse me, Che if?” You asked lightly as he slammed the door closed before locking it and glaring at the unsavory man before you followed him back down the hall to his office.

“What is it, Y/L/N?”

“Not that its any o my business, but are you okay?”

Cowling slightly, he opened his office door and shook his head. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“You seem a bit more agitated than usual?” You worded carefully as you followed him inside and closed the door behind you.

“I have everything under control, Y/L/N, just some lack of caffeine in my system, that’s all.”

“Sir, if there’s anything I can do-”

“Leave my office, Y/LN.” He demanded as he sat in front of his computer, his radio blaring out quietly behind his desk. “I have work that I need to attend to. I’m sure you have some as well.”

Nodding as you pursed your lips, you left the office, getting lost in your thoughts. You heaved a sigh as you sat into your cruiser and drove out of the area and into your new area for the day.  You were only slightly familiar with your surroundings. You diked this area due to the heavy drug usage and gang related crimes.

You’d just parked your car near a local coffee shop and had started to enter the building when you received a call from the station for a break-in gone horribly wrong. You received word that there had been shots fired. Outing to yourself, you rushed back to your car and drove in the direction of the call.

You arched in front of the house and kept a firm grip on your gun as it sat in your holster. You noticed the front door was ajar and someone was peeking out from the window. You called out to whoever was inside the house as you approached it. You knew you wouldn’t have the time to wait for back up. You cracked the door open with your foot and swiped the foyer from side to side as you pulled out your gun. You weren’t thinking clearly. You should have had your gun in your hand by now. Sharp movement to your left startled you and you quickly aimed your gun.

“Don’t shoot!” The man said in alarm as he raised his hands above his head.

“What happened here?” you asked/

“He- he ran out the back before you came in. He shot my little brother man. You gotta help me.” The man beckoned you to the adjacent room and you noticed that his hands were covered in blood.

“We need a medic at 52 North Second Street, gunshot wound to the lower abdomen.” you recited into the radio that sat on your shoulder as you kneel down in front of the bleeding man.

“You come here.” you gestured to the man who had greeted you at the door. You grabbed his hand and placed it over the bullet wound. The man laying on the floor grimaced and flinched in terrible pain. “Hold your grip here. Klee pressure on the wound as hard as possible to stop the blood, okay?”

You stood up and jogged to the back of the house and into the backyard. You followed a trail of blood that led to the alleyway behind the house just in time to hear the paramedics arrive in front. You strolled back into the house and shook hands with one of the medics.

“Officer.” one few them nodded to you.

Yo wiped the sweat from your forehead and left the house, making your way to your cruiser and sat in the air conditioner for a moment before driving off. Before you had reached the corner, you were summoned to quell a rowdy house party. You ignored the growling in your stomach as you turned the corner onto another street.

You sighed as you reach your destination within minutes. You huffed out as you parked your cruiser and beckoned over one of the sober-looking females. “Care to quiet down a few notches, huh?” you smiled at the girl.

“Oh, get outta here you whore!” one of the drunken men scowled, tossing an empty beer can in your direction. You ignored him, though protocol would have you arrest him on the spot.

“I’ll give you twenty dollars to tone the arty down.” you ignored the drunken men and pulled out the bill before waving it in the air to the girl. She agreed and took the money before walking over to the radio and turning the volume down. Feeling satisfied, you drove away from the angry drunkards.

It was almost ten at night as you lulled into an empty parking lot and pulled your hat over your eyes, too tired to go home and sleep. You had begun to slouch into a more comfortable potion when your cell phone had rung out, causing you to groan out in agitation. Peering at the random number n the screen, you quickly answered it. “Hello?”

“Is this officer Y/L/N?” A hesitate voice asked from the other line.

“Yes. May I ask who is ceiling my cell phone in the middle of the night?” You stifled a yawn behind the back of your hand

“It’s Bucky, Bucky Barnes.”

At the sudden name, you were no longer feeling exhausted adrenaline rushing through your blood. “Are you okay? Bucky, where are you?’

“I was wondering if I could take up that offer for a bed situation, if I’m still able to take it.”

“Where are you? I’ll cum pick you up.”

“Motel 5 on Kinsey Road. The desk lady granted me permission to use the phone so I could contact you.”

You knew it would take a little over ten minutes to get to his location. “I’ll be there. Don’t move.” You flashed your sirens as you turned onto the road. You had a sickening geeing in the pit of your stomach as your thoughts wandered on why Bucky had suddenly decided to call you at this late hour and what condition the man might possibly be in.

*********

You made quick timing to the hotel and pulled up into the arching lot and seen Bucky sitting by the receptionist’s desk and walked over to him. “Hey, you.” you greeted, nudging his foot with your own. He looked terrible and you nearly y gasped out loud as he looked up at you; his hair was disheveled and greasy. His cheekbones were bruised and tender. His arms bore scares and sum of the gashes looked to be infected.

“Did you get into a fight?” you asked, sitting down next to him on the ground.

Licking at his lips, he chuckled darkly before staring out into the parking lot. “We got into it again; he threw me out. I’ve been wandering the streets for three days now. I’ve been sleeping on benches whenever possible. I thought I lost your number until I called the station and acted like I was your cousin or something. They gave me your personal cell number.”

“Why didn’t you go to your buddy’s house? The one I dropped you off at before?” you offered.

“Who? Rocket?” buck scoffed, weeing at a bud stain on his forehead. “That’s the reason Steve threw me out of the house. “Steve forbid me from going up there because he knows about the shit that happens whenever I’m over there.”

“But you’re all friends, right? W Hat happens when you go there?”

“Rocket’s girlfriend started flirting with me while I was fucked up on ecstasy. I was tripping balls on everything that night. I didn’t even realist what the fuck was happening until I got a fork flung into my arm.” He rolled u his sleeves and sure enough, three tiny puncture wounds were still freshly bleeding.

“But why did Rocket attack you and not his girlfriend?”

Scoffing, Bucky grinned at you. “He did. He broke her jaw and everything. Rocket snapped on me afterwards. Someone called Steve so he came and grabbed me and gave me the silent treatment until I got home. That’s when Steve blew up on me. He assumed I was getting sober again. But, clearly, I lied to him about it. So we got into a fist fight. Now, I’m sitting in front of this sleazy motel, talking to possible the only person in this world who isn’t made at me.”

“So you’re an addict?” you said slowly.

He nodded as he looked down at the ground in shame. “Steve and I had a rough childhood. Around the time I turned eighteen, I started sleeping around for money and food to feed the both of us. I stopped when Steve got awarded an internship at a few law firms. I did whatever I could to keep myself and my cousin alive when my dad got locked up in the asylum.”

“So Steve was mad that you’re doing drugs again?”

“This isn’t the first time we’ve had fist fights or arguments. There were times where I’d spend months out on the street, scavenging for food or warmth.”

“Alright, let’s go.” you nudged at his foot again. “You’re crashing on my couch tonight. But please, do me a favor and don’t talk about this ever again. If my chief ever finds out I’m helping a criminal like this, he’d fire me on the spot.”

“So you’ve said.” he hummed.

“Front.” you ordered as he made to sit in the back seat.

“So, what’s going to happen tomorrow when you leave for work?” he asked after a moment of driving in silence.

You thought about it for a minute before answering, “you’re welcome to stay around the house. But my dog will be home tomorrow, so it’s best if you don’t do anything stupid until I cum back home.”

“Big house.” He whited as you pulled onto your street and parked in front of your house. “Is it only you living here with your dog?”

“Yep.” you answered shortly as you unlocked the front door, calling for Riley. As you made your way through the hallway to the kitchen, you heard Riley’s nails scratching the wooden floors as she ran down the stairs and yearn knocked you over in her excitement to greet you.

“Hey, girl.” you laughed as you knelt down to allow her to lick your face in greeting.

“Is this the same dog you had in your patrol car the day we met?” Bucky asked hesitantly as she suddenly rounded on him, sniffing at his pants and then licking his hand happily.

You nodded and stood up before weeing Riley’s slobber from your face and leading him to the stairs. “I’ll show you where you can crash forth night. Are you hungry? Maybe we should eat first.”

He shook his head. “Thanks, though.”

“I have three rooms you can sleep in. These two-” you pointed to the two doors on either side as you reached the landing. “-and there’s also a comfortable space i nth attic.”

“Why do you live in such a large  home if it’s just you here?” He asked as you opened one of the doors and gestured for him to peer inside.

“This used to be my parent’s old home before they past; I was adopted into the family when I was around five. My brother Bruce moved out when he started a career as a law firm teacher at the community college across town. We hardly talk anymore since I’m an officer of the law, makes no sense to me, but eh.” you shrugged. “Wanda and Pietro, my siblings who were twins, died in a car crash five years ago; the anniversary i at the end of the year. I decided to keep the house in memory of them all.”

“I’m sorry to hear about all of this.”  
Shrugging, you looked at him. “I’ve had time to adjust, plus. With my career, death is all around me anyway, so it’s something I’ve become numb to over the last two years. Also, I have Riley here, so I’m not always completely alone.”

“I’ll take this one.” Bucky pointed to the room you had shown him a few minutes ago.

“The bathroom is down the hall and the last door on your left. My brother Pietro might have clothes that could possibly fit you in the closet. There are spare towels in the bathroom cabinet under the sink. I might have to search for a toothbrush, unfortunate.”

“Thank you, Officer Y/L/N.” he smiled shyly at you and you wanted to embrace him and take care of him. But you knew it would have been completely inappropriate. It was terrible enough that you invited a goddamn criminal into your own home. For crying out loud, the man could have a history of murder just like George! You were completely bonkers for doing this!

“Y/N.” you corrected him with a soft smile. “You can ca me Y/N while you’re here.”

“What about out there?” He motioned with his hand.

“You know what to call me.” You winked and felt a small tinge of satisfaction when the corner of his mouth lifted. “Good night, Barnes. It’s been too long of a day for you and I’m sure you need some good sleep. I have ice packs in the freezer if you need any.”

“Thank you, Y/N.” He bid good night and you watched as he entered the bedroom before you closed the door behind him and made your way to your own room.

“Call me Officer out there. What kind of question is that, you dunce cap.” I joked and felt satisfied when I noticed a smile slip past Bucky’s mouth.

“Well, good night, Barnes. I gotta wake up in less than seven hours.”

“Night, Y/L/N!”


	4. Chapter 4

You woke up the next morning feeling groggy and out of it. You groaned as you sat up and stretched, your bones cracking with every move you made. You made your way over to your closet and dressed in your uniform. You were halfway through putting your pants on when you had smelled something burning downstairs in the kitchen. You quickly ran out of the room and bounded downstairs and made your way into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Y/N.”

“Bucky?” you breathed, nearly forgetting he’d spent the night at your house the night before.

He turned to face you with a sheepish frown on his face. “I’ll replace all the food I cooked with; I’d just wanted to make breakfast as a thank you for allowing me to sleep here last night.”

You sighed out and ran your fingers through your hair as a breath of relief slipped past your lips. “Bucky, I…”

“I made blueberry pancakes!” He brought a small stack of pancakes over to the table and wrung his hands in worry. You smiled at the gesture and sat down at the table.

“Bucky, thank you.”

“I made them from scratch.” he shrugged. “Please, eat.”

“Do you want to stick around for the day while I’m working? Or do you want me to drop you off somewhere?”

He hesitated for a long moment before making a face. “Do you mind taking me back to Steve’s house?”

“I would mind,” you sighed. “But I know that’s your home, so I won’t object. You better call me if anything happens over there, Barnes. That stunt you pulled last night scared me.”

Scoffing, he rolled his eyes before a smile crawled on his lips. “You sound like we’re married or something.”

Ignoring his last statement, you quickly finished your food and stood up, informing him that you needed to finish dressing yourself and you’d be down in a few minutes. “Gather whatever you brought over here and I’ll be down soon.” You walked up the stairs.

*********

A few minutes later, you were walking back into the kitchen with your uniform corrected and Riley by your side. “Bucky, let’s go!” you hollered out.

He came striding from the kitchen, wiping his hands on his shirt.

“You ready to go?” you asked him.

He nodded and followed you out to the car. You opened the front door for Riley before allowing him to sit in the back seat. You waved to your neighbor Jane before pulling away from your house.

“Is Steve home at the moment?” you asked as you drove around the corner.

“He should be.”

You hummed a response and drove in silence until you reached Steve’s house. You parked along the sidewalk and made to walk with Bucky to the house before he stopped you. “’ll be fine, Y/N.” He mumbled.

“Call me if something pops up.” You urged. “If he hits you or does something else, please call me.”

He nodded and quickly entered the house as you pulled away from the house. You couldn’t help the sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach as you eyed the house from your rear view mirror.

Grimacing as you pulled into the station nearly a half hour later, you placed Riley’s leash on her neck before walking into the station. “Morn’ Natasha!” You greeted one of the officers.

Natasha was a bright and bubbly woman. You always enjoyed her company at the station, though it wasn’t too often you got the chance to speak with her. She’d become a close friend of your over the last two years.

“Hey!” She perked up when you stood next to her. “So did you hear the news?”

“What happened?” you asked as you sipped your coffee.

“Nick might be transferring out in a few months.”

“Seriously?” Your eyes grew wide.

“Supposedly the lady they’re replacing him with is a demon in disguise.” She chuckled.

“Oh, great.” you grimaced.

“I really hope it’s only a rumor.” She pouted. “Things won’t be the same without Nick around here if he goes away.”

You agreed before bidding farewell. You made your way over to the locker room and placed your bag inside your designated locker before heading back to your patrol car with Riley.

Nearly an hour or so strolled by before a call had come through the radio about a domestic abuse scene. The address of the report had your blood running cold. You sped through the streets with your sirens blaring, nearly colliding with three cars at one point before you parked in front of Steve Roger’s house, your tires skidding onto the pavement. Your heart pounded as you approached the house on foot echoes of lewd language carrying out of the house.

Quietly, you entered the house. You knew better than to startle an angry men during a fight. It wouldn’t go too well for the victim in the cause.

“– not come back!”

“Steve, this is my house, too!” Bucky’s voice carried down the stairs as you cautiously climbed the staircase.

“I should report you to the authorities for breaking and entering!”

“I did no such thing, Steve!” Bucky’s voice became strained and in gargles.

You peered over the banister were Steve and Bucky were standing ten feet away from you. Steve’s hands were wrapped around Bucky’s throat as the dark haired man had been pinned up against the wall, his face turning a hue of colors.

“Release him!” you warned, pulling the gun from the holster on your belt.

Steve turned his attention to you and swore under his breath as he released Bucky’s throat. Bucky fell in a heap on the ground. “What the fuck are you doing in my house?” Steve spat. “Oh, whatever.” He picked Bucky up by the shirt and roughly slammed his body against the wall again. “You see the type of shit i have to deal with when it comes to you? You were better off dead in a ditch.” You were frozen to the spot as Steve threw Bucky across the hallway. His body hit the floor with a loud, Thump! You ran over to Bucky and cradled his head in your lap as you knelt down on the floor.

“I’ll get you help, Bucky. Don’t leave me now.” You lip trembled as you called into the station about needing paramedics at the house.

“He was snorting cocaine in the bathroom.” Steve said nonchalantly. “Pretty sure he swallowed a few pills as well.” Steve snorted humorlessly as he glared down at his cousin. He seemed uncaring as you threw a disgusted look over your shoulder at the man. Steve’s face held a deep bruise on his cheek.

You called into your radio about Bucky’s possible drug overdose as you looked over the bruises on Bucky’s face and arms. You could see scars from all the needles he had dug into his skin over the years. Steve rolled his eyes and walked away down the stairs.

“I did not permit you to leave my sight!” you called to him.

Steve ignored you as you turned your attention back on Bucky. “Whatever you do, Bucky, please don’t fall asleep.” you pleaded under your breath. You checked the time and growled with impatience as you grabbed for your radio and called into the station, asking for  the whereabouts of the ambulance. “For fuck’s sake.” you gently took Bucky’s body and lifted him up off the ground and carried him down the stairs.

Once you were on the ground floor, you called out to Steve. “You need medical assistance as much as I loathe to help you right now.”

“I’ll be fine.” He scowled as he walked down the hallway, carrying a ice pack pressed to his forehead. “It’s him you need to be worried about.”

Without another argument, you carried Bucky out to your cruiser, willing to any god that may have been watching that Bucky survived this ordeal. You patted his cheek lightly as his eyes began to droop closed. You couldn’t have him falling asleep. You knew the chances of him waking up from an overdose and you were not happy.

You looked at him from the rear view mirror after you had seated yourself behind the wheel. You kept a close eye on him as you drove to the hospital You wondered how he had managed to get drugs into his system. You found yourself worrying about him. But you knew you couldn’t. You had a job to look after. You were already risking your career and you knew it.

********

You had called out of work the next day. You couldn’t bring yourself to cruise through the streets, not while you knew Bucky had been in such a horrid shape. Similar to his criminal records, Bucky held an extensive hospital record. He’d been in and out of the hospital nearly every month since the age of six; he suffered everything from chicken pox, to deadly allergies, to broken bones, to overdoses as recent as six months ago. You swore to yourself as you read over the records that you would care and protect James Buchanan Barnes, no matter the consequences.

You stayed by Bucky’s bedside in the hospital room for the entire day waiting for him to wake up, if he ever did. You’d turned your phone on silent as to not disturb yourself. You knew you were growing feelings for the man, and you had no idea how the occasion had occurred You only seemed to know his deepest secrets, yet you knew nothing about his favorite ice cream, nor his favorite dinner. It seemed too intimate, yet too innocent all at once.

“Excuse me, Officer?” A nurse quietly stepped into the room. “You have  phone call.”

You nodded and walked to answer the phone from the desk. “Hello?”

“Where the hell do you think you are?

“At the hospital, Fury.” you answered coolly “I called out today; I had some matters that needed my fullest attention.”

“If this anything to do with that Barnes boy-”

You hung up the line without really caring for the consequences. You walked back to Bucky’s room and noticed a nurse checking his vitals and IV bags. She looked up when you entered and sighed contentedly. “You had good timing with this one, Officer.”

“Meaning?”

“His organs nearly shut down from the overdose of pills.” She sighed.

“Any idea when he will be free to leave?” you asked as you looked at Bucky, still looking so pale and fragile against the whiteness of the sheets.

“With cases as urgent as this, it’s hard to be certain. It could take days, perhaps weeks for him to fully recover from the blow to his skull alone.” She shook her head. “I don’t pretend to be a deity, Officer. Only time will tell.”

You breathed out of your nose slowly as she passed you on her way out of the door holding Bucky’s medical chart. You had resumed your seat by Bucky’s bed and decided to lay some games on your phone. You groaned as you deleted the notification of the thirteen missed calls from Natasha and Nick from your phone.

*********

A few hours had passed before you were shaken awake by a nurse. “Excuse me, Officer. We need to take Mr. Barnes in for operation.”

Rubbing sleep from your eyes, you nodded and sat up straighter in your chair.

“Are you his family? Or are you waiting for his family to arrive?”

The words came flying out of your mouth before you had the chance to stop yourself “I’m his only family.” you held up your left hand with a gold ring on your ring finger that you had actually inherited from your mother before she had passed away.

The nurse nodded. “I need you to sign these forms for me.”

Reading over the waivers you grimaced “So you’re not responsible if my husband drops dead during surgery, huh?”

He shrugged. “Insurance purposes.”

You regrettably signed your name at the bottom and handed the forms over. You gave Bucky one long lasting glance as his bed was wheeled out of the room. You knew if Bucky had heard the conversation if he was conscious, he wouldn’t be too elated to hear that you had claimed him as your husband. As he disappeared from your view, you gathered your belongings before leaving the hospital.


	5. Chapter 5

You drove home in your cruiser, stopping once at a gas station. You had chuckled on your way out as you seemed to startled a group of teens huddled in the back by the ice cream machine. Once your tank was full on gas, you drove home. You made your way to your kitchen and greeted Riley with a hot dog you had purchased. She had giddily taken the food offered before you had opened the back door to let her roam free outside in the yard. You watched her for a long moment as she chased around some birds. Sighing to yourself, you decided to make burgers for dinner.

As you prepared the meat, thoughts of Bucky crept into your mind. You couldn’t understand how one single person could disrupt your thoughts so much on a daily basis. You begun to wonder how much of Barnes you didn’t actually know about. You had thought about his father and the terrible things he had done to Bucky and possibly even Steve as they were growing up as children in his care. You had wondered why nobody had stopped George and reported him to the authorities.

You shook those thoughts out of your head as Riley had come charging back into the house with a stick in her mouth and her tail wagging a mile a minute. You laughed out loud as she had tracked mud from outside and into your kitchen. You wrestled the stick from her mouth and threw it back outside. She nearly knocked you over in her haste to catch the stick again,

You made three burgers; one for yourself, one for Riley and one for Bucky. You knew it wasn’t acceptable to bring food to a hospital, but you could at least try, anyway. You whistled through the open door and in she came again, this time without the stick in her mouth. “You’re in need of a bath, Ri.” you laughed as you broke apart her burger and laced it into her food bowl before rubbing behind her ears and washing your hands. You prepared your own burger and placed Bucky’s inside a plastic container.

As you had sat at the table and begun to eat your burger, you groaned as a phone call came through to your phone. “Yes, Fury?”

“If you wish to keep your position, then I suggest you arrive at the station at nine in the morning. Do you understand, Y/L/N?”

Frowning, you accepted.

“I heard news of Barnes being in the hospital. You wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would you?” He asked.

The tone in his voice made your skin crawl. “How did you know of that?”

“If I hear of you stepping within one hundred meters of that lace, you will no longer have a job. Do you understand?”

“Of course, sir.” The went dead and you tossed your phone back onto the table, shoving the rest of your burger into your mouth. You scratched Riley behind the ears as  you stood up and walked upstairs to change into regular civilian clothing. You needed a drink- and badly. You had changed into a simple black shirt and black jeans before walking out of the door. You had sat behind the wheel of your Lincoln and tapped the dashboard lovingly. “Do me some good tonight?” you mumbled as you backed out of your parking spot and drove the short distance to the nearest bar.

You parked near the entrance before waltzing in. You smiled at some friendly faces as light rock music blared from the speakers. You motioned to the bartender and she walked over to you. “What’s up, Officer? You seem a little blue tonight.”

After rolling your eyes with a light smile on your face, you shrugged. “Stress from work, Jones. Nothing new.”

She handed you a bottle of beer and nodded. “Police work can be stressful.”

Taking a drink of beer, you nodded in agreement. “I don’t understand how people deal with the same criminals everyday and don’t get attached somehow. You know what I mean? It sounds like bullshit to me.”

“You gotta learn how to close off your emotions.” she shrugged before leaving your side to attend to another patron.

You stayed in the stool for a long moment by yourself until a attractive man had come over to you.

“Hey.” he greeted, taking the empty seat next to you.

You smiled in greeting back.

“My name is Sam. What’s your name?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Y/N.” you replied. “Mostly because I work in the force, so I can’t exactly spend my days sitting in bars.”

He seemed interested at the information. “Oh, do you really?”

You nearly snorted at his surprised expression. “Yeah, I do.”

“May I buy you a drink, Officer?”

You regarded his offer for a moment before nodding. “Only if I can get a dance afterwards.”

“You got yourself a deal.” He ordered two beers and chatted with you for a long moment.

“You’re not going to arrest me for flirting with the law, are you?” He asked, causing you to laugh.

“Only if this night ends horrible.” You winked.

“Care for the dance now?” He offered downing the remainder of his beer.

You allowed him to pull you from the bar stool and direct you to the tiny dance floor in front of the jukebox. You stood close, his hands on your hips and your arms around his neck. You felt at ease as he whispered sweet nothings in your ear, making you smile and giggle.

Too soon, the song ended and you actually felt yourself groan. This had been the most relaxed you’ve felt in weeks. You glanced up at him and a smile formed on your lips. “We can dance to another song?”

“Or…” he spoke slowly. “We can head back to my place for a bit.”

You considered it for a moment, looking into his deep brown eyes full of lust and you found yourself agreeing. As he brought you out of the bar, you hauled for an Uber driver. The car had pulled up within minutes. “You’re a fool if you think I’ll be getting into a car after I’ve had alcohol in my system. Shame on you.”

Chuckling, he slid in the back seat with you. Sam instructed the driver for shortcuts to his house. You hummed quietly to yourself as you recognized the neighborhood You’d patrolled it a few times, but it was normally a quiet area.

A minute later. Sam was handing the Uber driver a few bills and helping you out of the car and onto the sidewalk. “I know it’s quaint, but it’s what I’m happy to call my home.”

“Its beautiful, Sam.” You followed him inside quickly. There was no need for a tour of the house as you knew what you were here for. He guided you to a door upstairs and opened one of the doors lining the walls. He invited you in and instantly begun shredding his shirt from his body. He tossed it to the ground in haste before closing the door behind you and pinning you to the door. He mouth explored your own for a moment before you allowed him to undress your shirt from your body.

******

“Do you still feel stressed?” he asked as you lay in his arms, your fingers tracing light patterns on his chest.

You glanced up at him and shook your head. “Not at all.”

“Do you still feel stressed?” He asked as I lay in his arms, my fingers tracing light patterns on his bare chest.

“Are you hungry? I can order pizza before you go?”

Chuckling lightly, you slid from under his arm and sat up before locating your clothes and slipping back into them. “I have a dog at home that needs my attention.”

“Are you serious? Oh, wait, you’re an officer, dumb question. You all have some guard dogs at home, don’t you?”

“Most of the time, yes.” you answered as you finished dressing yourself You smiled before placing your number in his phone and quickly leaving the house, calling for an Uber again. Once the car pulled up, you drove back to the bar and sat back in your own car before driving home.

“Hey, Riley.” you greeted as she came bounding from the kitchen as soon as you had entered the house. You scratched behind her ears before you moved around her to run up the stairs and get a quick shower before grabbing the burgers you’d made earlier and placing them in a plastic bowl. You made your way to the hospital, praying that Bucky had made it out of the operation room alive. You wove through traffic, swearing at a few vehicles forgetting that you weren’t in your police cruiser. You drove patiently until you had reached the visitor’s parking lot and rushed into the hospital, checking yourself in.

On your way to a seat, you bumped into a nurse and excused yourself before you called her again and asked for the whereabouts of Bucky.

“He’s still in recovery, Mrs. Barnes. Come tomorrow morning and I’m sure he will be happy to see you.”

“Can you be certain that he gets this? It’s his favorite.” You held out the container with burgers inside.

“Patients aren’t allowed food unless it’s given to them by the cafeteria. We can’t risk outside pollution.”

After groaning internally, you left the hospital, feeling annoyed and saddened. As you approached your car, you kicked the tire rim before driving back to your house. You drug yourself up the stairs and passed out before your head had hit the pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, you’d woken up to four missed calls from your boss. You checked the time and swore loudly, startling Riley in the process. You hoped out of bed and hurriedly dressed yourself in your uniform. You struggled to put your boot onto your right foot as your called out for Riley o follow you into the kitchen. You let her outside for a few minutes checking the time every couple of seconds.

“C’mon, Ri.” You tapped your foot impatiently as you watched her running around the yard for a few more minutes. You had less than twenty minutes to make it to work in time and you were in no mood to argue with Fury this morning. You had more than enough to worry about other than being fired or disciplined like a child at work.

Calling Riley back into the house, you closed and locked the door behind her as she came skidding through the door. You patted her atop the head before running out to your car and driving as fast as possible to the station. You ran inside once your car was parked and skidded to a stop as you nearly ran into Nick.

“I was beginning to think you had quit your job this morning, Y/L/N.” Nick taunted.

“No, sir.” you shook your head as your heart rate slowed down. “Overslept; had a long night with Riley.”

He made a disgusted grunt before handing over a stack of files to you. “Here’s James Barnes’s files. I figured since you read over George’s files, then maybe reading James’s would make you understand why I am so persistent in you not dealing with them.”

“Thank you.” you nodded curtly. “But, why are you suddenly handing over the Barnes’s files? I thought they weren’t for my eyes to read?”

Ignoring your question, Fury walked down a corridor. Your attention was turned to Natasha as she had tapped your shoulder. “Hey, Nat. Question for you.”

“What’s up?”

Raising the files, you raised a brow. “What the hell’s gotten into Nick?”

“The commissioner’s been watching over him. He’s been put on probation or something. I hate to say it, but I’m actually feeling sorry for him.”

“Yeah,” you sulked in agreement. “Well, I gotta go patrol. Catch you later, maybe?”

“Movie night!” She chuckled.

Laughing, you walked to the locker room to dispose of your jacket and other belongings before you went to sit in your patrol car. You fired up as almost immediately a call had come through for a hostage situation at a gas station close to you. As you approached the area, one of the officers motioned to you to lay low. You peered over and grimaced as Stark motioned with his hands. You looked around and noticed two other squad cars surrounding the small gas station.

“What’s the damage so far?”

“A man, three hostages inside.”

You peered over your door and nearly flinched as an FBI agent started trying to negotiate over a megaphone. “So, are we supposed to sit around? Or is someone going to actually do something?”

“Sit and wait for something exciting to happen.” He shrugged. “Patience, grasshopper.” He looked over at you for a minute. “There’s talk that Fury might be transferred, or even fired in a few weeks. Know anything about that?”

You shook your head, only half listening as you faced the scene in front of you. You weren’t going to let Stark distract you on the job. You followed suit as Stark aimed his pistol at the door of the gas station. You waited with bated breath as the FBI agents slowly approached the biding Three hostages walked out with their hands above their head. Stark sighed in relief next to you.

“Where’s the girl?” One of the agents shouted. The agent ran through the doors; a gunshot was heard and the remaining agents rushed inside, only to reveal that the gunman had shot himself in the head, killing himself.

“Bullshit.” Stark spit on the ground as he straightened up.

“Agreed.” You scowled, sitting back on your seat as you hid your gun away.

“So, how’s your boyfriend Barnes doing lately?” Stark asked casually. “I heard he’s in the hospital, overdose or something.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, ass hat.”

“How’d the surgery go yesterday?”

Rolling your eyes, you slammed your car door shut. “Good bye, Tony.” Ignorant the amused grin on his face, you drove away from the scene. As yo had pulled over to recollect your thoughts, another call had come through your radio; a car chase. Grinning to yourself, you called back into the station and drove onto the highway where you joined the fellow officers as they sped down the long stretch of highway.

“‘67 Chevy Impala.” You mumbled to yourself as the model of the car seemed desperately familiar to you, though you couldn’t imagine where you’d seen the car. Getting lost in your thoughts, you had nearly rammed your car into the trunk of the patrol car in front of you as the driver had stopped.

The black Impala had been surrounded fro all directions. Patrol cruisers surrounded him, along with several officers as the driver slowly stepped out of the vehicle. The officers begun shouting at him to stop immediately. But he continued climbing out of the car. You felt your mouth drop open as Bucky Barnes himself had emerged from the car.

“Hands above your head!” One of the officers shouted. “Now!”

Bucky listened as he turned around slowly, evaluating the situation in his own mind. “You know,” Bucky grinned. “I’ll get out of this alive, right?”

“Bucky!” you called out as you frantically ran to his side, calling for the surrounding officers to seize the guns.

“So, talk around the station was true then.” you heard an officer mumble as you passed him on your way to the center of the circle.

“Barnes, explain yourself. Now!” You earned an eye roll in return. “Bucky, c’mon.” you whispered as you stood close to him. “I’m not the enemy here and you know that. Come on.”

“You shouldn’t have tried to save me back there.” he scowled. “What happened between myself and Steve was none of your business. How the fuck did you even know about that?” The sudden hatred on his face made you nearly take a step backward.

“I received a report of domestic violence at that house. I wasn’t aware of the damage until I came inside and seen him beating you into a wall.” You replied. “I’m going to have to take you to the station for questioning, now that you’re clearly out of recovery.”

“You got me fucked up if you think I’m going to do something like that willingly.” He raised a brow highly as you disregarded him.

“It’s not a request, Barnes.” You seethed. “I can’t let you leave the scene like this.”

“Watch me.” He sneered, earning shouts of protest from the surrounding officers.  You glared at them as you raised a hand to keep them from coming closer to the pair of you. “I’d rather fucking die then surrender myself to you or any of these pathetic excuses of safety measures.”

“This isn’t the answer to the problems you’re having with your life, James. Surely, you’re intelligent enough to know that by now. I’m not going to back off; I already got disciplined for staying in contact with you when I had no business doing so. You’ve had  a hard life, Barnes. It’s time to let someone help you.” You turned around and motioned to one of the other officers.

“Take him back to the station and wait for me there. Don’t react to him; he’s hostile and unnerved right now.” The officer nodded as he allowed you to place handcuffs on his wrists. “Get this car to the impound lot.” You ordered as you strut back to your cruiser, feeling Bucky’s glares until you had pulled away from the scene.

You arrived at the station several minutes later after you’d finished eating you lunch and your breath no longer smelled of taquitos. You’d slam your door shut and marched into the station, ignoring the exasperated and awestruck expressions of the officers surrounding the area. You were becoming accustomed to the glances by now. You ignored Nick’s voice as he hollered out to you. You walked over to the cell where Bucky was detained. You cocked a brow at he smugness he displayed across his face.

“Care to explain yourself?”

“How about you telling the nurses that we were married?” He threw at you.

You felt like you were dealing with a child. You pinched the bridge of your nose as you forced yourself to remain calm. You knew better than to let a criminal get into your head like this. But here you stood, somehow feeling sorry for this man. “Do you know how much I’ve risked in protecting you? I could lose my career over this, Barnes.” Still, he smirked. “Tell me, how did you get released from the hospital.” you decided on a different approach,

“Are you asking because you care? Or are you asking so you can file some sort of report on me and then shove me back into that place? Y/L/N, I was fine before you brought me. You shouldn’t have come to Steve’s place.”

“For both reasons.” you replied. “You scared me, James. I thought you would die in the back of my cruiser. Steve threw you pretty rough against that wall. You had a concussion, bruising, everything. It’s my job to care about you.”

“Why?” his smirk broke off into a frown. “Why worry about some poor shithead like me?”

“Tell me how you you escaped the hospital and acquired that car.”

“Get me out of here.” He answered.

“I can’t, Barnes.” you shook your head. “This wasn’t some petty crime. You endangered lives. You evaded arrest. You were uncooperative. Truthfully, I’m not the person that you need to be talking to. I’ll talk to Fury and see what he thinks.” Ignoring the grim expression on his face, you backed out of the cell and locked it behind you before making your way to Fury’s office.

He motioned for you to take a seat in silence. He raised a hand to quiet you as you opened your mouth to protest. “I have told you time and time again, still you did not heed any warnings given to you. I cannot understand your loyalty to this man. I’ve allowing you to read the reports of his father and himself, because, quite frankly, I may not be around here much longer. Until Commissioner Gordon makes his decision, I’m stuck on a limb.”

“What are you planning with Barnes, sir?” you nibbled the inside of your cheek. “What happens to him if you leave the station?”

“He needs medical attention.” he sighed, leaning back in his chair as he looked you over. “He needs to be safe and away from his cousin for the foreseeable future.”

“Sir, if I may?”

He nodded.

“Who called into the domestic abuse report at Steve Rogers’s home?”

“A neighbor.” He shrugged, dismissing you from the office.

You breathed a sigh of relief as you walked to retrieve the release forms, placing your signature wherever it needed to be. You quickly made it over to Bucky’ cell and stood in the doorway frozen. “Bucky!”

He looked up at the sound of your voice and grinned maniacally as he shoved the needle into his arms. You rushed over to him, panicking, knowing that you couldn’t risk pulling the syringe out of his arm as it would be too risky.

“Stay away from me.” He growled out.

“Are you fucking insane?” you whispered back, forcing yourself to remain calm.

“I would, if you gave me a chance with you for one night.” He winked, a droopy smile forming on his face.

“How the hell did you sneak this inside of here?”

“I have many secrets.”

“Bucky-”

Bucky smiled, clicking his tongue and wagged a finger in your face. Backing out of the room slowly, you closed and locked the door behind you.

“What’s wrong?” Natasha asked from her spot behind a computer screen.

“Did Barnes get searched before he was detained?” You whispered to her. “Do you know?”

“Of course he was.” She scoffed.

“I went back to check on him; he smuggled a syringe in here.”

“Oh my.”

Taking a deep breath you held it for a moment before releasing it slowly. “He’s been acting more odd than usual lately.”

“He’s a heroin addict.” she shrugged. “His behavior is common.” She shrugged and walked away.

After she had disappeared, you’d ask Nick on what to do. He’d scolded you for not calling for an ambulance immediately upon finding Bucky in distress. Nick had formally granted you two days of paid absence, but you declined his offer, knowing it was better if you had stayed around the station, doing what you did best.

Once the medics arrived, Fury directed them to the cell which held Bucky, explaining Bucky’s past history with drug abuse. “He’s also escaped hospital care and went on an all out car chase He was admitted due to injuries following a domestic dispute with a family member.”

Easily, the two medic were able to strap Bucky to a gurney and rolled out of the station. Nick ordered you to follow along.


	7. Chapter 7

The sound of the radio blaring out static had been the only noise as you drove to the hospital. The medics around you blurted out numbers, though you hardly gave them any attention. You were still riveting from the shock of finding Bucky in that cell with the drugs he had somehow smuggled inside. Once he was on a gurney and rushed into the hospital, it was a few hours before a nurse had walked over to you, calling your name.

“Your husband is out of surgery; he’d somehow escaped our grasp this morning when the shift changes were happening in the morning.”

“Will he be alright?”

Smiling, she nodded. “He will need to have guards in his room until he is discharged, but yes, he will be fine.”

“Can I see him?”

“Yes, but please try not to rile him up; he’s in a delicate state of mind.” The nurse explained as she guided you to the room where Bucky had been kept. The man glanced towards the door and groaned at the sight of you. The nurse quickly left the room, leaving the pair of you together.

“Don’t you have a damned job to do?” He scowled, focusing on the television in the far corner of the room.

“Fury said you were my responsibility, since nobody in the station wants to deal with you.” you answered cheerfully before the smile faded. “Nick assigned me to you; you’re a troubled person and I know you need guidance, Bucky. I can’t let you die on my watch.”

Humorlessly, Bucky let out a bark of laughter. “You’re more pathetic than I originally thought, Y/L/N. Tell me, do you feel pity on all the criminals you allow in your home? Or was I the first one? I don’t know who is more worthless and pathetic right now, me or you?”

“You’re not pathetic, Bucky. You’re troubled, that’s all.” you frowned. “You’ve had a rough life so far, but you can always turn it around. But doing these petty crimes and killing yourself with drugs isn’t the answer.”

Taking a deep breath as his smirk faded, he focused on the television “You don’t get the right to determine how I live my life,Y/N. Nobody has control over me. Nobody.”

“You have the power to control everything, Bucky. I know it’s hard to believe, but there are people who care about you out there.”

“Yeah?” He scowled, gripping the bed sheet covering his torso. “Then where the fuck are they?”

You didn’t have an answer to that.

“I thought so.” he huffed. After a moment, he spoke again. “I haven’t wanted to be alive for a long time, Y/N. I don’t see a reason for me to be here. I have no friends, Steve would rather kick me out rather than let me live under his roof. Every night, I go to sleep, begging to die. You don’t care about what happens to me, nor do your officer buddies. I’m just a charity case to you so you don’t lose your goddamn job.”

“That’s not the case.” you blinked. “I’ve grown to care about you; it’s a downfall of this job, dealing with the same criminals day in, day out.” He started to open his mouth to retort, but before he could utter a single word, you leaned over and pressed your lips to his own. Immediately, you pulled away, backing away from his hospital bed in fear at thought that he might start throwing punches your way, despite the IV tubes hanging out of his arms.

“What the fuck did you do that for?” He spat, wiping at his mouth.

“I’ll see you soon, Barnes.” You rushed out of the room, feeling embarrassed at your own stupid actions. You knew you were already getting too close to the man. But this? This was completely out of protocol. You were sure if anyone had found out about your actions, you’d been thrown to the wolves.

********

Rushing out of the room, you nearly knocked over a nurse in your rush. You quickly dialed for a taxi once you were out of the place. Once the taxi arrived, you directed it to the police station and paid the driver at your arrival. As you settled into your seat, your phone begun to ring out. Ignoring it, you turned your radio on, flinching at the loud static that filled the silence for a moment before yo fixed the volume.

Grumbling to yourself, you pulled out of the parking space and drove down the street, not caring where your driving had taken you. Ringing for the third time, you finally answered your cell phone. “Yes, Nick?”

“And she lives!” Nick’s sarcasm spilled through the line. “You’ve received six calls to the station this morning.”

“Who from?”

“Steve Rogers.”

You nearly collided with the vehicle in front of you as you stomped hard on your brakes. “Why?”

“Says he’s coming to the station, he wants to talk to you personally. I’ve already informed him that you weren’t in the office, but he insists.”

“What the hell does he need to speak to me about?” you wondered out loud.

“I’m going to assume it has to do with Barnes..” He sighed out. “This situation between the three of you is getting out of  hand and it needs to be dealt with soon, Y/L/N.”

“I’ll return to the station soon.” you replied, turning your cruiser around immediately, despite Nick telling you otherwise.

“That won’t be necessary.” Nick responded before he said his farewells.

Once the line had disconnected, you decided to call Bucky in the hospital. “Hello?” Bucky asked once the line had been transferred to his room.

“It’s Y/L/N.” you greeted, tapping your fingers on the steering wheel.

“Are you going to explain what the fuck happened earlier? Or are you trying to pry in my family’s history again?”

“Did you call Steve to the station?” You asked.

“Why the fuck would I have done that?” He scoffed. “You know we aren’t speaking to each other right now, right?”

Sighing, you leaned your head back against the seat. “This call was pointless, then.”

A moment of silence on Bucky’s end before he spoke quietly. “Why did you do it, Y/N?”

“I’m going to need something more elaborate, Barnes.” you knew exactly what he was referring to.

“Why did you kiss me?” he mumbled.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a few weeks now, Barnes.”

“I’m a criminal, Y/L/N. I don’t deserve something like that in my life.”

“Yeah,” you chuckled. “I seem to thrive on dangerous relationships. I’m interested in you because you’ve got a colorful background. At first, I thought of you as some petty criminal;something I dealt with on a daily basis. But the more I talked to you, the more I wanted to help you.”

“This doesn’t change a damn thing between us, Y/LN, I hope you know that.”

“Yeah,” you laughed bitterly. “I know.”

“I’m hanging up, they’re showing a new episode of Supernatural and I’m going to murder you if I miss a second of it.” The line clicked and you threw your phone on the seat next to you. You continued the drive to the station, not knowing what the hell you had to expect.

*********

“My apologies, but we don’t have him in our custody at the current time, Mr. Rogers.”

“Give me the goddamn keys to my car and the whereabouts of my drug addicted cousin.” Steve demanded.

You nearly walked into the blond man on your way into the station. Steve had been standing by the entrance, arms folded intimidatingly in front of him as Nick looked as calm as ever in front of him.

At the sound of your entrance, Steve spun on his heel and pointed threateningly in your face. “Where the fuck did you take him?”

“I’m in no liberty to discuss secret manners such as that to you; his abuser. You must take me for an idiot.”

He took a threatening step in your direction. “Tell me where the fuck my cousin is, Y/L/N.” Suddenly, handcuffs were being thrown on his wrists and he shouted profanities at the officer behind him. You noticed the flaming red hair immediately as Natasha drug him to the Holding Cells, ignoring the vile insults her was throwing at her.

“I told you before, Y/L/N, the Barnes residence is a messy situation.” Nick gave you a pointed look.

“Why did he come here looking for Barnes? Surely he knows that Bucky’s in the hospital.”

“He claims Bucky is his responsibility; says we have no business handling him in any such a way or form.” Nick turned around and beckoned for you to follow him back to his office.

“Steve has no rights to Bucky; he’s an adult. Steve nearly beat him to death. You should have seen-!”

“I’ve seen it all before, Y/N. It’s nothing new to us at the station.” He shrugged.

“I want to question Steve.” You requested, immediately begin granted permission.

“Yourself and Stark go in to question him together. I know the pair of you share your differences, but the pair of you know how to cooperate when it’s necessary.”

You nodded and left the office, exploring the station until you met with Stark in the locker room. “Steve Rogers just came in.” You announced as you leaned against the locker next to him.

Scoffing, he smirked. “No shit; I’m sure there’s a few house within a mile radius who didn’t hear him spanning out.”

“Fury wants us to interrogate Rogers together.” you said.

“This will be fun.” You rolled your eyes at the dripping sarcasm. You led the way to the Holding Cells and nearly rolled your eyes as Steve started spewing our insults again at the sight of you.

“Allow me?” Stark  suggested as he pulled the handcuffs from his belt and ordered Steve to face the wall. When the man refused to cooperate, Stark forced him to comply before jamming the handcuffs to his wrists.

“Where is James?” Steve demanded.

Silently, you and Tony brought him to the Interrogation rooms and cuffed him to the table before the pair of you stood in front of him. “Talk.” Tony demanded as he leaned his palms on the table.

“Steve, we’re going to ask you a few questions.” Stark immediately rounded on him.

Steve’s jaw was set hard in determination as he glared at the pair of you.  
“Are you deaf?” Tony taunted before turning to you. “You can join the conversation whenever you want, Y/L/N.”

Leaning against the two way mirror, you raised a brow as Steve nearly growled at the sight of you. “He won’t speak with me in the room.”

“I want my cousin.” Steve spoke.

“Ah, he speaks.” Stark taunted.

“Where is James?” Steve demanded.

“We can’t allow you near the poor man. You’re lucky we’re going easy on you after the damage you’ve caused the poor guy. Not to mention, threatening half the station on your arrival here.” You replied.

“Give my James’s location.”

“You know, by the way he’s demanding to see his cousin, you’d think they were bedding each other. Wouldn’t you agree, Y/L/N?”

Forcing a smile as you thought back to the reports you had read on George and James, you wouldn’t have been surprised if they were indeed bedding one another, despite their relationship. “It wouldn’t be surprising, considering their family’s history.”

“You keep your mouth shut, pigs.” Steve grimaced. “I’ll kill every one of you.” He tried to lunge at the pair of you, however the handcuffs prevented him from getting too far.

Tony smirked proudly, knowing he’d hit a nerve.”Do you want to spend the rest of your days behind bars, Rogers? We know exactly who your uncle was, George, right? We know what he’d done to the pair of you when you were children, what he’d forced the pair of you to do to each other. We know what he’d done to you both. Why are the two of you so protective of him?”

“Stop talking.” Steve’s face was flushed in anger.

“No, I won’t. We are legally able to have you holed in this room for 72 hours.” Stark reminded him.

“I’ve done nothing to be held accountable for my actions.”

“Storming into the station, harming your cousin, throwing him violently against the way, nearly killing him, yeah, we have plenty of reasons to keep you here, kid.” you recited.

Scoffing, Steve rolled his eyes. “He wouldn’t have been in that situation if he stayed away from Rocket and his gang of misfits. He’s a loser, worthless. He’s not going to go anywhere in life. He’s an addict, all he cares about is here he’s going to get his next fix from. He doesn’t care, no matter if you show him that you care or you’re throwing his ass out into the streets. He’s pathetic. He’d get thrown into a grave if that meant he could get another fix.”

“We’re not referring to his drug habits, Steve.” Tony replied. “We’re talking about the violence you have displayed towards him and this station on your arrival.”

“Fuck off, the pair of you. I ain’t talking anymore.”

Patiently, Stark nodded over to the door and you followed him out of the room. You looked at him expectantly as the door closed behind you.

“Do you still have those evidence files Fury gave you?” He asked.”We need everything we can in order to convict this asshole. Those files and pictures of Bucky’s damaged goods will be a great help in order to convict him.”

“Barnes would rather cut off his arm than see me again.” you sighed. “I’m beginning to see what Nick was talking about with these men. Bucky’s so distraught and broken. Steve doesn’t give a hell about him.”

“That’s why you need to go get those pictures.” Tony urged, motioning you to go away before he walked back into the room. You sighed and walked out of the building, ignoring the usual stares from the officers surrounding the area until you were resting in your patrol cruiser once again. In silence, you drove to the hospital, anxious. Once at your destination, you signed into the system and strolled to Bucky’s room.

“Y/N!” Bucky grinned at the sight of you. You noticed his IV bag had been full, he’d probably received a new treatment to make him loopy.

“Hey, Bucky.” you greeted, dreading this conversation. You took your hat from your head and begun fiddling with the visor as you approached him. “I need a favor from you.”

“Anything you need, buddy.” he grinned lopsided. “I’m your guy!”

“I need you to testify against your cousin if we bring him to trial.” you swallowed nervously. “We need to bring him to justice for the shit he’s done to you. We’ve got everything we need, except your testimony. If we get evidence of his abuse towards you, we’re certain the case will be won over as quickly as it starts.”

“No.” he shook his head violently “I can’t do that to Stevie. He’d be heartbroken. He’d kill me if I testified against him.”

“He’s hurt you, James.” you tried reasoning with him. “He’s told me straight out he doesn’t care for you. He wants you out of his life.”

“I’m not giving you anything.” He persistently shook his head. “I can’t.”

“This trial can’t happen without you, James.” you pouted before you turned to leave. Before you could leave the room, Bucky called you back.

“Let me think it over, okay?” He asked. “It’s a lot to take it all at once.”

You nodded before leaving the room quickly, feeling disheartened. Bucky was your only chance at throwing his cousin away so he could remain in safety. As you sat in your cruiser, you called Stark. “Y/L/N?”

“He won’t do it, Tony. I tried convincing him that Steve was a horrible person, but he refused to cooperate.”

You heard the man sigh.

“So what are the plans now?” You asked. “There’s nothing I could do. James won’t agree to this. He loves Steve too much. I’ve tried everything. The files I have will be no use either.”

A few minutes later, you’d hung up the phone, feeling as thought you would get nowhere. You pulled the files from the glove compartment and skimmed through them with your lip between your teeth. A few minutes after scanning the files, you called Nick.

“Yes, Y/N?”

“I want Bucky to testify against his cousin.” you got right to the point. “But I think it’s going to be harder to convince him than I tonight He’s persistent on protecting Steve. I’m going to show Bucky the files we have on him and his family. Maybe something will trigger something in his mind and make him realize Steve isn’t good for him.”

“Twenty-four hours, kid.”

Letting out a slow breath to calm yourself, you bid Nick farewell and scanned the files again. You’d memorized all the words already. You shifted through each page,underlining and circling important articles or sentences. Once you’d gone through the last page, you sat back in your seat and felt disgust rising in your body.

You drove back to the station and knocked on Nick’s office door without receiving an answer. You turned around and called to a nearby officer. “You know where Nick ran off to?”

They shrugged in response. Sighing in frustration, you walked back to the Interrogation rooms before noticing the rooms were emptied. You tracked back down the hallway until you reached the cell where Steve was kept.

“What the fuck do you want?” he scowled at the sight of you.

“Wishing you a glorious night in this cell.” You smiled sarcastically

“Where is James?”

Ignoring his question, you walked away from him and pulled out your cell phone and redialed Bucky’s hospital room again.

“I’m going to assume it’s you, Y/L/N.”

“Are you still high on medications?” you asked in exasperation.

“Yes, ma'am.” he slurred.

You quickly bid your farewell before you could snap on him and called Nick.”Chief?”

“What do you need, Y/L/N? I’m home relaxing. Have you found any more leads between Steve and Barnes?”

“No.” you sighed.

“Find something soon.” He threatened before disconnecting the line. You roughly wiped a hand down your face.


End file.
